Methods of consumption: Smoked, eaten (mixed in food or brewed as tea)

Marijuana is a common illegal drug prepared from the Cannabis plant genus and is the most widely used illicit drug in the world. THC or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the chemical compound in marijuana that makes it psychoactive and the ingredient that is tested for with this screen.

How Long is Marijuana Detectable on a Urine Drug Test?

A urine drug test can detect marijuana as soon as 2 to 5 hours after use. However, the bigger question is how long will it still be detected with a THC urine drug test. The length of time marijuana is detected in urine depends on the amount used, frequency of use and the user's weight and body fat. The more you use marijuana, the longer it will stay in your system even after you quit using it. For a person that is a heavy weed smoker with frequent use, THC could still be detected up to two months after the last use. For an infrequent user marijuana could stay in your system up to two weeks and for someone who only smoked marijuana one time it may be out of your system in less than a week. Many factors come into play when trying to determine how long you will test positive for THC and the only reliable answer is to test yourself to find out.

How the test works

A marijuana drug test allows you to learn the test subject's recent drug history through a very simple procedure. To perform the test, at any time of the day collect a urine specimen in a clean and dry container. Dip the drug test card into the urine specimen and after 5 minutes you will be able to check if the result is positive or negative (please follow the detailed directions that come with your test or those in the "Instructions" tab before you perform the test).

The results of your test are very easy to read. If the result is negative for marijuana, two lines will appear, one in the Control Region of the test card and one in the Test Region. If positive for marijuana, no line will appear in the Test Region of the marijuana drug test, but a line will appear in the Control Region of the drug test to show that the test was conducted successfully. A positive result from your marijuana urine test is called a "non-negative" result and means that the drug concentration in the urine sample is greater than the designated cut-off/detection level for marijuana.

Can secondhand marijuana smoke affect a THC drug test?

No, second hand smoke does not affect the test. Even if you are in an enclosed space, like a car for example, when someone is smoking, the test will not return a positive result. Based on an experiment conducted with our tests, you could be in a room constantly pumping in marijuana smoke for 24 hours and you still wouldn’t test positive. For more information on this experiment, please see this article Does Second Hand Marijuana Smoke Show Up On A Drug Test?.

Some facts about marijuana

Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health which interviews aprroximately 67,500 people each year indicates an annual rising trend of marijuana use each year since 2007. In 2010, it is estimated that 17.4 million people over age 12 used marijuana in the past month or 6.9% of the group. The study also estimated that 4.6 million persons are using marijuana on a daily or almost daily basis over the last year.

Marijuana use by teens continues to climb and is now more popular than cigarettes. In 2010 more than 1 in 5 high school seniors reported using marijuana in the last month. See more facts about Teen Marijuana Use with data from Monitoring the Future and NIDA.

Some professionals believe the rising trends in adult and teen marijuana use over the last few years may be from a lower perceived risk due to the legalization of medical marijuana.

Instructions

Materials Provided:

One Step Drug Screen Test Card

Package Insert

Materials Required But Not Provided:

Specimen collection container

Timer - a timer or timing device (such as a wrist watch) is required to run this test

2. Remove the test card from the sealed pouch and use it as soon as possible. Remove "iScreen" labeled cap from end of the test card.

3. With arrows pointing to the urine specimen, immerse the strip(s) of the test card vertically into the urine specimen for at least 10-15 seconds. Immerse test card to at least the level of the wavy lines on the strip(s) but NOT above the arrow(s) on the test card. Do NOT allow the plastic device/test card above the wavy lines to be touched by the urine.

4. Replace cap and place the test card on a non-absorbent flat surface. Start the timer and wait for the colored lines to appear. The results should be read at 5 minutes. Results remain stable for up to 4 hours after test initiation.

Interpretation of Results:

NEGATIVE: Two lines appear. A colored line appears in the Control Region (C) and a colored line appears in the Test Region (T). A result should be considered negative whenever there is even a faint line - shades of colored lines in the T Region may vary. Negative means that the concentrations in the urine sample are below the designated cut-off levels for a particular drug tested. Please check your instructions for more information on the cut-off levels being used in your test.

POSITIVE: A colored line appears in the Control Region (C) and NO line appears in the Test Region (T). Positive means that the drug concentration in the urine sample is greater than the designated cut-off level for a specific drug. Please check your instructions for more information on the cut-off levels being used in your test.

INVALID: No line appears in the Control Region (C). Insufficient specimen volume or incorrect procedural techniques are the most likely reasons for Control line failure. Read the directions again and repeat the test with a new test card. If result is still invalid, contact manufacturer.

Warnings/Limitations

ALL SPECIMENS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS AND HANDLED IN THE SAME MANNER AS AN INFECTIOUS AGENT.

This test only provides a qualitative, preliminary analytical result. A secondary analytical method must be used to obtain a confirmed result. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is preferred.

There is a possibility that technical or procedural errors, as well as other interfering substances in the urine specimen, may cause erroneous results.

Adulterants, such as bleach and/or alum, in urine specimens may produce erroneous results regardless of analytical method used. If adulteration is suspected, test should be repeated with another urine specimen.

A Positive result does not indicate level of intoxication, administration route or concentration in urine.

A Negative result may not necessarily indicate drug-free urine. Negative results can be obtained when drug is present but below cut-off level of the test.

Test does not distinguish between drugs of abuse and certain medications.

Urine specimen must be collected in a clean and dry container.

Urine collected at any time of the day may be used.

Urine specimens may be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius for up to 48 hours prior to testing. For prolonged storage, specimens may be frozen and stored below -20 degrees Celsius. Frozen specimens should be thawed and mixed well before testing.

Test should remain in sealed pouch until use. DO NOT FREEZE. Do not use beyond expiration date. Store at 2-30 degrees Celsius (36 to 86 degrees F)./

Used test card should be discarded according to federal, state and local regulations.

Frequently Asked Questions - Marijuana Urine Test

Q: How long does marijuana stay in your urine?

Unlike most drugs, marijuana can be detected in your urine for vastly different amounts of time, depending on usage. If someone smokes infrequently, for example, only once every two months, the THC will probably clear out of their urine in about a week to ten days. If someone smokes a few times a week, it will take longer for the THC to clear out of the urine. The reason for this is that THC is stored in your fat. If the body is taking in a lot of THC, more than it is capable of easily clearing out, it will store the excess THC in your fat cells. You can think of it as you might think of weight gain; if you are taking in more calories than you can burn, the extra calories get stored as fat. The same thing happens with THC – if your body can’t process all the THC you are putting into it, it will just save it to be processed later. Someone smoking a few times a week, especially if the marijuana/weed is high in THC content, will be putting enough THC in their body that some of it will get stored as fat.

If you do smoke frequently, expect to test positive on a marijuana drug screen for anywhere from 3 weeks to almost 2 months. If you smoke everyday or several times a day, you can test positive for 2 months or more. Detection times also vary depending upon your weight, metabolism, and other person factors. Those factors generally don’t affect the test detection time too much, though.

It is also important to note that a marijuana urine test cannot detect marijuana immediately after the drug is taken. We suggest waiting at least 2-5 hours after use to test.

Q: Will I test positive on my test if I only took one hit, tried it once, etc.?

It depends. One rule of thumb we have is if the person got high or felt the effects of marijuana, they will probably have enough THC in their body to test positive on a marijuana urine drug test. If someone has only tried it once, if they had enough to test positive the detection time will be short – about a week.

Q: Will this test pick up k2, Spice, or synthetic marijuana compounds?

Marijuana is usually smoked as a joint or cigarette or in a pipe. Marijuana can also be smoked in blunts or cigars that have the tobacco removed and refilled with marijuana. Marijuana can also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea.

Q: How does the test work?

When the marijuana drug test is properly used with the urine sample, the urine specimen migrates up the card by capillary action. If THC is not present at a great enough level in the urine sample, it will not be able to prevent its antibody on the marijuana drug test card from reacting with the drug-protein conjugate on the test card. When this reaction occurs a colored line appears in the Test Region and the result is Negative. When marijuana is detectable in the urine it prevents the antibody from reacting with the drug-protein conjugate. Therefore no colored line appears and the result of the marijuana drug test is Positive.

Q: What are the behaviors of someone under the influence of marijuana?

Typical behaviors are euphoria, slowed thinking and reaction time, confusion, impaired balance and coordination and difficulty in problem solving.

Q: If a person smokes marijuana and then is tested an hour later, would it have time to show up in the urine?

Most likely not. Generally it takes about 2-5 hours for a drug to show up after consumption.

Q: Will these tests appear on my credit card?

No. Charges on your credit card are to our name “Home Health Testing,” and are no more specific than that.

Q: Why should I buy a marijuana urine test?

A marijuana drug test that tests urine is a highly effective way to learn about recent drug use. Our marijuana urine test is very simple and can be done in the home, at any time of the day. A urine test is a common type of drug test and very inexpensive.

The Marijuana Drug Test tests for marijuana (THC). The only drug it cross reacts with is Sustiva (generic name Efavirenz).